Kimberly Kincaid: The Luck of the Irish: Celebrating Holidays With Food

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Once we get past thoughts of leprechauns and four-leaf clovers, the first thing that pops to mind for many of us on St. Patrick’s Day is the food. Traditional Irish fare like corned beef and cabbage, Irish soda bread, and bangers and mash abound on this holiday, and many of the recipes have been handed down and perfected over generations. Whether or not you’re Irish (and isn’t everyone today?), chances are you may indulge in a dish or two or three to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day (and yes…Irish coffee counts)

But the Irish aren’t the only folks who celebrate holidays (and life) with food. Nearly every culture has traditional fare, and the best part is, because we’re a melting pot, much of it has become mainstream. Check out the main thoroughfare in any town as proof—more likely than not, you’ll find sushi restaurants cuddled up with Italian brick oven pizzerias, cozy French bakeries right next to places specializing in Thai food. So what is it about food that makes us pass it on from generation to generation, keeping culinary traditions in place?

For one thing, food nourishes us, both literally and figuratively. We share it together as families. We offer it in times of joy, as well as times of grief. Food has the power to sustain us. And while cultures may differ on what they serve and how they serve it, this remains universal. Picture Sunday dinner in your head (from any time in your life). What do you see? Likely, there are family traditions there that revolve around food. Perhaps there’s a pot roast in the oven, or maybe a lasagna on the table. Take a moment to remember the smells, the sounds, the tastes. Makes for a pretty evocative picture, right?

Because food has this sustaining power, we often use it to celebrate holidays, like St. Patrick’s Day. Pick a holiday and do a free association. Chances are, a food item is among the first things you think of, regardless of your cultural background. And the beauty is that while some things are quite universal (Thanksgiving turkey, for example), nothing is set in stone. Traditional Italian Thanksgiving meals have nary a turkey in sight (and trust me, while I like turkey as much as anyone else, you don’t miss it at a meal like that!)

So take a moment to think about your favorite holiday(s). What dishes do you share with those around you? Are they traditional? Passed down through your culture or family? Or do you like to try new dishes each year? Share your food customs, your recipes, your ideas! I’ll be right over here with my bangers and mash, sipping a pint of Guinness J After all, everyone’s Irish today!

Love On The Line -
Violet Morgan puts the personal in personal chef, catering to clients who want the full cooking experience rather than a culinary drop-and-dash. But when her brother’s police detective partner is injured in the line of duty and needs help during recovery, she makes an exception. Violet lost her father to the job seven years ago, and worries for her brother’s safety every day. The last thing she wants is to get up-close with her brother’s career-cop partner…again.
For Noah Blackwell, being a detective isn’t just a lifestyle, it’s a legacy. So when he’s forced to take mandatory leave and deal with the trauma amnesia keeping him from identifying his shooter, it’s a literal case of adding insult to injury— and now he’s got to deal with an unwanted culinary caregiver on top of it. Never mind that he and Violet shared a steamy, secret kiss last New Year’s Eve. She rejects everything related to the job, and Noah’s not about to be distracted from recovering his memory and getting back to what he does best. No matter how pretty Violet is.
Despite their differences, Violet and Noah share a surprising bond in the kitchen that grows into something neither of them expect. But as Noah heals and their feelings for each other extend from the kitchen to the bedroom, Violet knows she must make an impossible choice. She may wear her heart on her sleeve when it comes to food, but can she risk it all to put love on the line?

Kimberly Kincaid writes contemporary romance that splits the difference between sexy and sweet. When she's not sitting cross-legged in an ancient desk chair known as "The Pleather Bomber", she can be found practicing obscene amounts of yoga, whipping up anything from enchiladas to éclairs in her kitchen, or curled up with her nose in a book. Kimberly is a 2011 RWA Golden Heart® finalist who lives (and writes!) by the mantra that food is love. She is thrilled to have collaborated on a Christmas anthology with Donna Kauffman and Kate Angell, titled The Sugar Cookie Sweetheart Swap, to kick off her Pine Mountain foodie series with Kensington this October. Her first full-length novel, Turn Up the Heat, will follow in February 2014. Kimberly resides in northern Virginia with her wildly patient husband and their three daughters. Visit her any time at www.kimberlykincaid.com or come check her out on Facebook and Twitter.

The Perfect Man For Everywoman

By vagueonthehow

I've just started writing a new single title. It's at such an early stage I haven't even decided on a working title yet, but I already had a pretty good idea of my hero's attributes before I sat down at the keyboard. As always, I based the best bits of his character on my lovely OH. That leaves me free to indulge my fantasies, and dream up a hero who's gorgeous to look at as well as a real Alpha male.  That means tall, dark, handsome, preferably with tousled hair.  Of course, he's got to be well muscled with a good broad chest (heroines for the comforting of). The funny thing is, that description sounds like my OH, too. That's the point where I start trawling the Internet to add a little variation to my mental images. My daughter has a thing for Ian Somerhalder, so he was first up on my inspirations board under the heading "hero". Pretty hunky, huh?

Then, while I was drafting this blog I had Classic FM playing online. Their home page featured a photomontage of a recent performance of Parsifal with Jonas Kaufmann in the title role. Now, I don't care for Wagnerian opera, but the photograph of Jonas having his clothes torn off by a bunch of wicked women (all in character, of course!) almost made me a convert. Oh, yes, and Jonas sings like a hero, too.
Here's a clip - at first I thought it was floodwater sloshing around their ankles, but to judge from the state of those bedclothes, they must have Ribena on draught...

It's going to take a bit of work to track down a likely picture of a heroine for him. His Cinderella is an unhappy girl who has got into the habit of eating to get herself through life's ups and downs. Then a life changing experience leaves her destitute. She could solve all her problems in an instant by selling her home to our hero (above) but disaster changes her. After being betrayed by her ex-boyfriend, she's assumes he's trying to trick her. At first she can't see past our hero's battle-hardened public image at first, and in any case she's too stubborn to take his money. That would be too easy!  It's only when she glimpses the real man behind the mask that she decides a compromise might work - but only on her terms. He's not a man to see a woman starve, though, so there are going to be fireworks. I'm visualising a twenty-five year old Dawn French while I write, but as I can't find any suitable pictures of her, there's currently a gap on my inspirations board under "heroine".

Have you got any  suitable candidates? There's a signed copy from my backlist for the best suggestion!

Christina Hollis has written both Historical fiction and Modern Romance/Presents for Harlequin Mills and Boon Ltd, as well non-fiction for national magazines and prize-winning short stories. Her current release, Lady Rascal is available for download from  Amazon, iTunes  and many other retailers. Christina loves to hear from readers - you can contact her through her website or her blog.

Know Your Tropes...by Michelle Styles

Harlequin Historical author Michelle Styles gives a brief explanation of what a trope is and why they are important, plus a giveway of her latest

Earlier this month,  the copyright violation case against Kate Walker was dismissed with prejudice. An unpublished author had accused Kate Walker of stealing her ideas  and had taken the case to court.  If the unpublished author had know more about tropes, she would have saved everyone a lot of time and grief as the judge unequivocally declared Kate Walker innocent.

What is a trope?

A trope is the name for a metaphorical use of words. It describes various common plots, characters and themes. Sometimes people confuse trope with troupe (a company of performers) but the correct word is trope. These plots, themes and characters have been used since time immemorial and no one has the right to own them. Copyright covers the expression of characters, plots and themes but not the ideas themselves.  In short copyright covers that which is unique about an author – her voice.

It is perhaps easiest to think of a trope as  detailed architect drawings of a house.  You might even have the representation of various items of furniture. But the drawing is very different to actually being in a furnished house, particularly one which has been lived  in for awhile. The story which  the author creates and has copyright protection for  is the finished and lived in house. It is unique because the author’s voice runs through it. Just like the inhabitant of the house’s taste runs through the house and it could belong to no one else. The tropes cannot be copyright protected.

It is important to realise that there is nothing new under the sun in terms of plot. As Robin Lane Fox makes clear in his book Travelling Heroes, Homer stood on the shoulders of story tellers who had come before him and uses bits from other stories. Travelling Heroes is a fascinating read if you are interested in such things. But if Homer couldn’t create an original plot thousands of years ago, we should stop worrying  about it as well and should concentrate on the things which do make stories unique.Other authors such as Joseph Campbell (Hero of a Thousand Faces) and Maureen Murdock ( The Heroine’s Journey)  make the point that there are only a few plots which resonate through out  time And the same archetypal characters occur time and again.

There are many tropes in romance. Little Red Riding meets the Big Bad Wolf is currently popular. 50 Shades of Grey uses this trope. In the case of 50 Shades, the heroine relies on her magic hoo-ha rather than the woodcutter to get her out of trouble.  Other tropes include Cinderella, Reunion stories where the couple have split up, Marriage of Convenience, Amnesia,  Tart with a Heart or Pregnant Bride. It is helpful to know them because then if you are writing a story, you can know the scenes a faire (naturally arising from the plot scenes) which need to occur. What is the point of a murder mystery story if you never have a scene where the murderer is uncovered? If you have a pregnant heroine, it is normally best to let the reader know what happens when she gives birth. If you have star –crossed lovers, the family does need to find out about them.

Similarly with characters, an author only has the right to her detailed and very unique character. You cannot copyright a tall dark handsome hero with a stepmother and two brothers. It is far too generic. It needs to be specific in order to make your character move than a line drawing or sketch.  A lay person has to be able to recognise that character as unique  individual rather than an archetype in order for that character to be protected. Again it goes back to voice and the way the author tells her story.  It is not so much about the character but the way the character is expressed on the page which makes that character become unique in the reader’s mind.

Everyone has her unique voice. It is important to use it to tell stories which are as old as time in a fresh and new way.

If you are interested in reading the full text of the judgement (and the analysis of what can be protected starts on page 8) you can do so here.

Giveaway

Because my book An Ideal Husband? is officially published on 5 April, I am doing a giveaway. The trope for An ideal Husband? is a fake engagement and if you have a fake engagement, there does have to be a scene where they are found out. I had a great deal of fun writing the story and hope readers enjoy it.

UPDATE I drew Karen H's name out of the hat and a copy will be sent to her.

Maya Blake - The Sinful Art of Revenge

Japan is very high on my must-visit bucket list and I knew when I started writing Harlequin Presents that I had to write a Japanese hero or heroine. In a way, Reiko Kagawa, my heroine in The Sinful Art of Revenge has been in my mind the longest. She was very patient in waiting for her story to be told and I was thrilled to bits when I got to tell her story. Researching ancient Japanese temples, French aristocracy, how fast bullet trains travel and when cherry blossom trees bloom was an extra delight.

And coupling Reiko with her last-in-his-line Frenchman, Damion Fortier, was well…icing on the cake. But these two didn't have a smooth journey to their happy ever after.

They both had personal baggage – Reiko has deep emotional and physical scars that literally give her nightmares and Damion had his own obsessive traits to battle through. At times it seemed impossible that these two would see their way to a lasting relationship but writing their story was a blast because I got to go along for a thrilling vicarious ride.

Leave a comment for a chance to win!! I'm giviving away one copy of The Sinful Art of Revenge to a lucky commenter, and I'm happy to send it anywhere in the world!

THE SINFUL ART OF REVENGE is out now available at Mills and Boon  and at Amazon US Amazon UK and Barnes and Noble

***Maya's winner is girlygirlhoosier52!  Please email totebag@authorsoundrelations.com with your mailing information!  Thanks!***

Happy St. Patrick's Day

 I love spring!  Winters can be long here on the shores of Lake Erie.  We have this thing called, Lake Effect Snow.  Cold Canadian winds blow across the lake, picking up moisture, which hits the lakeshore in the form of...you guessed it, snow.

Here in Erie we have an average of almost 80 inches of snow a year.  That's a lot of snow.

But now it's March!  At this moment, the snow in my yard has all melted.  Although, they're calling for more snow tonight.  This time of year the weather is more precarious than ever.  This last weekend it was in the sixties.  I opened the windows and I wore just a sweatshirt as I walked the dogs.  Tuesday, when I walked, I was back in a heavy coat, but still wore sneakers.  If it snows, well I'm back in boots and bundled up.

But spring is busting out all over!  If you look closely at the picture on the left, I've got purple flowers starting to open on my crocuses.  The one on the right is a hyacinth.  The birds are loud as I walk in the mornings.  I love this season of rebirth and renewal.  I just turned in my Christmas book and I'm working on something new.  I come to my computer each day with that same springtime sense of potential...anything can happen!!  And since I'm working on one of my comedies, it probably will!

Now, this is Erie, so I know we'll have at least one more snow.  Local legend has it that St. Patrick's Day generally means a late season snow storm (although at this moment, weather.com is calling for 33 degrees and only a 10% chance of snow).   But even if it snows, St. Patrick's Day seems to herald the official start of spring here on the lake.  It's a day when everyone's a little Irish.  A day when green isn't simply a color that's coming back to life in our gardens and lawns...its the color everyone's wearing.  A day when you can get Guinness at almost any bar in town! (As a Guinness fan, that's a good thing!)

So, Sláinte, everyone!  I hope spring is arriving where you are and that even if you're still snowed in, you remember that spring is just around the corner!  I hope this season gives you that same sense of potential and glee that it gives me.  Anything's possible!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day...and spring!

Holly


A St. Patrick's Day Gift for you all:

I've tried my hand at publishing a short story trilogy this year.  I gave Nothing But Love away for Christmas, Nothing But Heart away for Valentine's and my springtime/St. Patrick's Day gift is the final book, my first St. Patrick's day romance, Nothing But Luck.  It stand alone, so even if you didn't read the other two, it's fine.  And it's free for Kindle this weekend, Saturday the 16th, Sunday the 17th and Monday the 18th.  So mark your calendars and stop in and pick it up before you go get that Guinness!  (And I know that many of you have other types of eReaders.  The entire series will be out next year for those platforms.)

Nothing But Luck

Alexis Morgan: My Kind of Guy

I had an interesting conversation with another writer recently.  We got to talking about the common themes/characteristics that run through the books we've each written.  Over the course of my twenty-plus years as a published romance writer, I've written in four different sub-genres.

My first complete manuscript, which never sold, was a western with aliens. Strange, but true. Unfortunately, back then there was no market for a cross-genre book like that one, but it did contain elements of books that have been successful for me. My first two published books were short contemporary romances, which were followed by a several year gap before I sold another new book.

By that point, I knew I needed to change directions and wrote my first American West historical. When it sold, I was ecstatic! By the time I'd written nine more in that genre, the market for paranormal stories was growing like crazy, while the one for westerns remained fairly small. I wrote two different paranormal series with human heroes that had special powers as well as a vampire series (gotta love those fangs!)

My newest release, Her Knight's Quest, is the second book in a fantasy romance series called the Warriors of the Mist, another new direction for me. It's about five warriors who have been cursed to serve as the avatars of their gods in order to redeem their lost honor. It's set in a medieval type of world complete with magic and even a gargoyle! 

And starting this summer, I will see the release of my first contemporary romances in nearly twenty years. This series is called Snowberry Creek and takes place in a fictional small town located in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. In the first book, A Time for Home, the hero is a soldier back from deployment.  

As scattered as all of that might seem, in truth nearly of my books have one thing in common: a strong hero with a warrior's heart. My heroines all have strengths of their own, but as a writer I usually come at a story from the hero's perspective first. If you look a close look at my heroes, they all have a powerful sense of duty and a driving need to protect those they care about. That's true whether he's a lawman, a paranormal hero who defends the world from invasion, a knight who serves his gods, or a soldier fresh from the battle.

Over the course of my career, the underlying themes of honor, loyalty, and duty have tied all of my books together in an important way.  And when I've changed directions, I've always tried to make sure that I'm doing so with purpose. 

Regardless of the diverse settings I've chosen for the stories I've told, I've worked hard to make sure that I stay true my voice as a writer.  I think the catch phrase on my website says it all: Alexis Morgan . . . Where heroes hold back the darkness.

THESE HAUNTED HEARTS ARE LIVE!

Unlike my internet and phone service, sadly.

One of the things I love about blogging is having conversations with the people who comment. Sadly today, with the best will in the world, I won't be able to be here. No phone service until late March! Grrrr! Luckily my local library (which isn't terribly local, unfortunately) has internet available but it's a fairly limited option.

But hey, let's forget the bad stuff! I've got a new release to celebrate!

THESE HAUNTED HEARTS: A REGENCY GHOST NOVELLA went live on 10th March.

As I write this, I don't have an Amazon link but I can tell you that it's $1.99 and available worldwide.

This story is an extended version of "The Chinese Bed" which was published in June last year in THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF GHOST ROMANCE. I always thought the story would benefit from a little more length to give the characters some extra room to breathe. The result is THESE HAUNTED HEARTS.

Here's the blurb:

On one fateful wedding day at Marston Hall in 1818, four linked destinies hover in the balance.

Josiah Aston, Earl of Stansfield, wakes to discover he's seventy years dead and he alone can free his beloved wife Isabella's tormented soul. But first he must convince her to trust him against all the evidence…

Lady Isabella Verney, beautiful and tempestuous, married the man of her dreams, only to die violently on her wedding day. Every clue points to Josiah as the murderer…

Is true love strong enough to defeat ancient malevolence forever?

Miles Hartley, Viscount Kendall, is society's ideal catch, but what does that matter if he can't convince Calista Aston that he loves her? When an age-old curse strikes, only by proving himself worthy of her faith can he save their happiness…

Lady Calista Aston, noted bluestocking, fears she loves Miles Hartley not wisely, but too well. On her wedding day, her doubts place her at evil's mercy. When death and disaster loom, is it courage or mad folly to believe that Miles loves her in spite of all her faults?

On one fateful wedding day at Marston Hall in 1818, will the lovers emerge triumphant or will darkness conquer all?

 

You can read an excerpt here: http://annacampbell.info/hauntedhearts.html

The difficulties caused by no telecommunications has made me think of what I LOVE about living in the 21st century. The internet. Modern medicine. Music when I want it. Richard Armitage. What are your three favorite things about living in the modern age?

Dream House : : Anne McAllister

I’ve just been writing a flashback scene in my book which has to do with a tree house.  My hero and heroine – adversaries from childhood – have been, in a rare moment of collaboration, building a tree house. 

And I’ve been thinking back to my own childhood – of dreams of tree houses, lavish and rustic at the same time and real tree houses (not an easy fit in a eucalyptus tree, let me tell you!).  And my fingers have been itching to get out the pencils and paper and draw them all over again.

They were my original dream houses.  I wanted them high, where I would have a room with a view, and sturdy, though with just enough sway to let me know I wasn’t on the ground anymore.  I wanted them wind-proof and water-proof and with lots of bookshelves (a girl can’t look out the window all the time!). Besides, this was my dream.

A couple of my sons built a tree house in the woods not far from our home.  It was drafty and teetery and I had visions of them plunging out of it when the least breeze came up. But I managed to shut my mouth and not voice my concerns. It was ‘their’ dream house – and boys have to have dreams, too.

I remember going to Disneyland when I was young and, as I recall, there was a sort of Swiss Family Robinson tree house there.  Or may be I dreamed it. But it was everything I thought I would want in my dream tree house. 

When I was looking for images to illustrate this piece, I found this one from the Disneyland at Hong Kong (or so it says). I didn’t even know there was a Disneyland at Hong Kong (I thought there was one in Japan).  It speaks to me, too. And I wouldn’t mind having it right on the edge of a river or lake like this one, either!

These images all resonate with me. Some are way more lavish than any kid could make. They are certainly more lavish than my hero and heroine are making.  They’re more lavish than I dared dream of as a child.

But they do two things – they prove to me that my dreams are shared by a lot of people, and that sometimes dreams can coincide with reality, even if in the instance of tree houses, mine didn’t.

They inspire me. They make remember childhood dreams and they make me dream still.

They also, honestly, make me want to go round up a few grandkids and watch Swiss Family Robinson again. 

Did you ever dream about making a fantastic tree house?  Did you make one?  Just how universal is my tree house dream house fantasy, anyway?

 

Attributions: Tree house 1: By http://flickr.com/photos/emdot/ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/emdot/9672473/) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Tree house 2: By Grandy02 (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5-2.0-1.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Tree house 3: Stanley Howe [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Tree house 4: By Dave Q from flickr.com - http://www.flickr.com/photos/goodspeed/ CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Curly v straight—the great debate - Kandy Shepherd

Do you have curly hair you wish was sleek and straight? Or straight hair you wish fell to your shoulders in glorious waves? And what about the color? Happy with your brown/blond/black/red? Or always wanting to change it?

Straight or curly - is anyone ever happy with their hair?

Personal observation and years working in womens magazines tells me there are many of us not happy with the hair nature gave us. I have dead straight hair that is healthy and easy to manage. But I’ve always fancied having wavy hair. Suffice to say, I can’t bear to look at the photos of the three disastrous perms I’ve had in misguided efforts to get that longed-for wavy hair! A friend has repeatedly told me: “If you ever get the urge to have a perm again, call me first.” For a curl-avoiding intervention.

I loathed my auburn (okay, ginger!) hair when I was young but it darkened as I got older and though I threatened to dye it black, I never actually did.

And then there are people with wavy hair who do anything they can to straighten it. Reverse perms. Straightening irons. Even real irons—one friend burned her ear while trying to iron her hair on an ironing board with a steam iron.

It takes work to turn curly hair into straight - and vice-versa. 

Harlequin Desire author Paula Roe, was blessed with naturally curly hair. But last month Paula decided to go straight for the first time in a sleek, sophisticated new look. “It’s surprising how different it looks,” says Paula. “I’m told I look younger and it definitely feels more swishy. But it’s temporary—I could never do away with my curls.” I think Paula looks gorgeous both ways!

Harlequin Desire author Paula Roe with naturally curly hair.

Here's Paula with her hair all  sleek and straight.

For years, my “day job” was as a womens magazine editor. One aspect of the role I particularly loved was working on reader makeovers—coordinating with hairdressers, makeup artists, fashion stylists and photographers to transform everyday women into their look-best selves. The experience inspired me to write about a girl who wants to reinvent herself and hopes a “me makeover” will help solve all her problems. (Of course real change takes more than new hair and makeup!)

One of my favorite makeover movies is The Princess Diaries - here the transformation process for the Anne Hathaway character starts with having her riotous curls tamed into sleekness.

Rose, the heroine of my new contemporary womens fiction release Reinventing Rose, starts the book with wild wavy locks, “the kind combs get lost in.” She feels “like an extra from The Lion King.” Rose jumps at the opportunity to have her hair permanently straightened for a magazine makeover. I had such fun taking Rose into the hairdresser and the studio for her makeover scenes. Especially when she meets a handsomer-than-handsome photographer who may or may not end up being her dream-come-true hero…

What about you? Are you happy with your hair the way it is? Any interesting/disastrous/fabulous hairdresser experiences to share? I’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment for a chance to win a free download of Reinventing Rose. Don’t forget to include your email address if you want to be in the draw.

Kandy Shepherd writes fun, feel-good fiction.

Her new contemporary womens fiction e-book, Reinventing Rose, is available for $2.99 at Amazon, Barnes & Noble,  Smashwords, Kobo and other e-book retailers. Kandy’s romances include the Amazon bestseller The Castaway Bride, Something About Joe, and the award-winners Love is a Four-Legged Word and Home Is Where the Bark Is.

Visit Kandy at her website

www.kandyshepherd.com

Photos courtesy of

Blond model

© Siraragorn | Dreamstime Stock Photos & Stock Free Images

Ginger

http://designspiration.net/image/187546891805/

Brunette model

© Vedmochka | Dreamstime Stock Photos & Stock Free Images

Paula Roe 

© Disney Enterprises

More Ice Cream

I’m so excited to be able to finally talk about my latest book, Anything But Vanilla, which is being released in Harlequin’s exciting new KISS series in May (although like all HQ titles, it will be available on their website in April).

Kiss has been the most enormous success since its launch in February, regularly topping the bestseller chart at Harlequin. It has a really starry line-up with books across the range of “heat” but all with that flirty, sexy, modern feel to them. They are about modern young women, living real lives and having their HEA come up and smack them in the eye rather than hunting it down.

Anything But Vanilla is the second of my ice cream stories  - Tempted By Trouble was the first. It’s Sorrel’s story. She’s the Amery sister who plans to be a millionaire by the time she’s twenty-five. She’s expanded “Scoop!” to include high end events and things are looking up until the woman who makes her specialist ice creams disappears a day before a make-or-break reception.

Worse. There’s some man in her place with only one thing on his mind. Shutting the place down. Well, two… He’s taking a lot of interest in her legs.

I have twenty advanced reading downloads of Anything But Vanilla for those of you who enjoy fun, flirty romance and are prepared to post a review on Goodreads or Amazon, or on your blog or all of them. If that’s you, email me at liz at liz fielding dot com (no gaps) with ARC in the subject line and I’ll draw the names out of a hat next Friday.

Have a great weekend!

The 3 Ws of Being an Author by Jessica Lemmon

Wonder, Wait, and Write.

Or should that be Write, Wait, Wonder?

Either way, I think those three words sum up the life of an author. No matter what kind of author you are, your life will involve a whole lot of each of those.

WRITE

Writers write. Could there be a more obvious (and sometimes frustrating) statement? It’s like the great mystery of weight loss. When someone tells you to: Eat Less, Move More, you feel sorta duped. Shouldn’t it be more complicated than that?

So…what are writers writing? It could be the latest novel or it could be a blog post. Guest (like this one) or your own. I love blogging. Posting on my blog is a satisfying way to self-publish instantly. And my blog doubles as a journal. I can see just where I was at any moment in my life by looking back at those posts.

WAIT

Ah, the waiting. When I submitted books as an unpublished writer, the waiting was agonizing. That’s how I managed to have seven books under my belt in two years. I had to do something other than twiddle my thumbs while waiting to hear back from publishers! Rejections came, but they came slowly. Like, to the tune of 8-12 mos. later. :-(

But then you get the magical “call” and the wait is finally over!

Temporarily.

Publishing is a slow business. Even after those books are sold, your busy-busy-busy times will be bookmarked by times of WAITING. And waiting some more. Waiting to see what the sales numbers are, waiting for reviews to roll in, waiting to hear back on your next manuscript.

Tom Petty said it best: The waiting is the hardest part. It’s also the part that never stops. :-P

WONDER

This one, in my opinion, is harder than waiting! Being a fiction writer, I can concoct all sorts of scenarios that have no basis in reality. Depending on the day (or the hour or the moment) I could be speculating that I am awesome…or that my writing smells a lot like the kitchen trashcan at the end of the week.

But wondering is also a necessary part of the process.

In case you’re worried that the waiting and wondering may eat you alive, fear not! There is a cure for the dreaded wait and wonder.

Guess what it is?

C’mon. You know.

Yep.

WRITE.

An all-business billionaire. A sweet, sexy assistant. What could possibly go wrong?

"A smashing debut! Charming, sexy, and brimming with wit--you'll be adding Jessica Lemmon to your bookshelves for years to come!" (USA Today bestselling author Heidi Betts )

Jessica will be giving away two (2) copies of her fun, sexy debut novel Tempting the Billionaire to two lucky commenters! To enter, simply answer this question: Do you think the writing, waiting, or wondering is the hardest part? Why?

***Jessica's winners are Joye and Lory Lee! Please email totebag@authorsoundrelations.com with your mailing information. Thanks!***